Casa Nostra

Did a happy dance when I scored a seat at my friend Annette’s booking for this elusive private dining. How could I not, knowing what I know was in store for my belly! Having visited this private dining previously in the day, the space looked very different at night with darkness interrupted by pools of light concentrated on the beautifully laid out dining table and the pizza work area for Chef Antonio. Annette who had done the selection for our $120-per-head menu, picked the Scarmoza e Prosciutto (grilled smoked cheese with Parma Ham), and Parmigiana di Melanzane (baked eggplant) as appetisers but Chef generously throw in a special burrata, one made by an Italian here in Singapore using cow’s milk from Veneto in Northeastern Italy. I was taken aback (in a very a good way) by how complex its flavour was. Then came the life-changing pizzas that Casa Nostra has become synonymous with. Apart from the first pizza which featured the classic Neapolitan crust, the others were of the lighter, airier Neo Neapolitan type, which is said to be easier to digest as well. Interestingly, this contemporary style of dough takes 3 days to be ready versus the 24 hours needed for the classic. And although the toppings performed at their absolute best on every pizza they appeared on, it’s clear the crust was the star we had come to worship. Words seem to fall short of capturing how sensational it smells, feels and tastes. A second off-the-menu surprise, the Focaccia dotted with Stracchino cheese, managed to knock our collective socks off too. Shatteringly crisp, I think the entire table of us ate it with eyes wide in wonder. Chef Antonio makes a mean pasta too and proved it twice that night. First with the Spaghetto a la Bottarga that had a strong rounded savouriness from cured grey mullet roe. I enjoyed it most with the freshly-grated lemon zest. The second was a pasta I had had three helpings of on my first visit - the Spaghetto alla Chitarra con Ragú di Maiale. Still very tasty but my feat wasn’t repeated. Our mains of octopus and Iberico Pork were flawlessly seasoned and grilled. Just wish my tummy could have accommodated extra helpings of the latter as I liked it a lot. Our dessert was a homemade Pistachio gelato that was so good it brought Annette out of her food coma to inhale three servings of at one go.